Bangladesh’s cricketers will enjoy mostly single-room accommodation at the Asian Games in Japan, while eight other Bangladeshi teams will have to stay on a cruise ship amid a housing crunch, revealed a Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) official on Monday.

Bangladesh will send 22 teams across different disciplines to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will be held from September 19 to October 4.

The Bangladesh cricket contingent has secured 19 rooms for its 41 players and officials, covering both the men’s and women’s teams. Almost all members of the cricket delegation will have rooms to themselves.

“India [cricket contingent] is sharing every room. If they send 25 or 22 people, they will not get 20 rooms. Bangladesh has been allocated 19 rooms. Everyone will stay in single rooms, except one person who will have to share,” BOA vice-president Major (retd) Imroze Ahmed told reporters at a press conference at the BOA auditorium.

The Bangladesh cricket teams will compete in separate tournaments, with the women’s event scheduled for September 17-22 and the men’s competition from September 24 to October 3.

Imroz said Bangladesh’s cricket team had avoided the worst of the crisis because arrangements had been made early.

“Someone has done a good job and moved one step ahead to arrange this. Our cricket team is not suffering because of it,” he said.

But not all athletes from Bangladesh would be as lucky as the cricketers, as out of the 22 teams to be sent across different disciplines, eight will have to stay on a cruise ship, revealed Imroze.

"Eight of Bangladesh’s disciplines at this year’s Asian Games will be accommodated on a cruise ship. Members of the archery, gymnastics, judo, kabaddi, weightlifting, wrestling, table tennis and wushu teams will stay there.

"Athletes from the other disciplines will be accommodated at various hotels or resorts," Imroze said.

The accommodation arrangements have become a major issue ahead of the Games, with no conventional athletes’ village being built for the event. Around 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to attend.

Instead, participants will be accommodated in hotels, cruise ships and temporary container-style facilities, placing considerable pressure on available accommodation across Japan.

Imroz said securing hotel rooms had become extremely difficult as the Games approached, describing the shortage as a nationwide problem.

“If you ask for a room now, I might not even be able to give you a toilet, because there are no hotel rooms available anywhere in Japan,” he said.